Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Why Good Design Matters!

One of the first design and advertising books that really spoke to me was Pentagram’s - Living by Design. Its basic premise was that design extended to more than graphics, architecture, advertising - but was the entire consumer/brand experience- long before people were talking about experiential marketing.

So, when I stumbled onto Pentagram’s blog - and saw this logo - I was instantly reminded of why design does make a difference.

Take a look at this elegant logo - then read their description:

Pentagram's: One Laptop Per ChildPentagram has designed the identity and website for One Laptop per Child, the non-profit organization with the goal of providing laptop computers to all children in developing nations.

The identity is a hieroglyph, designed to be universally understood, that utilizes the icons of the OLPC laptop interface, also developed by Pentagram. The website design employs these symbols as the basis for navigation. Each icon leads to a corresponding section of information: the laptop to a section about hardware and software, the arrow to a section about participation, and so on. The site launched in English but is currently being translated into many languages.

For all the companies that don’t think they can afford to do a proper logo on start-up, just remember, you can pay now, or pay later. A well-designed brand mark can make the difference between having a corporate identity- and becoming a lifestyle brand, ala Nike, Apple, BMW, Mini etc.

And, by the way, if you aren’t familiar with the One Laptop Per Child initiative, you need to read more about it - it’s truly something that could change the world. http://www.laptop.org

Cultural Brand Builders

Brandthread is a leader in strategic brand planning. We offer an unparalleled level of business-focused strategy and the relentless delivery of ideas that produce recognized, tangible results for our clients' businesses.
www.brandthread.com